Machine for producing business forms

ABSTRACT

A hand-powered machine is provided for producing business forms retained in the machine with concurrent issuance of receipts to a customer, the machine being particularly adapted for the production of sweepstakes forms. Electrical control is provided by which the number of forms to be issued in a complete transaction may be determined by dialing.

United States Patent 1 1 Ray I54] MACHINE FOR PRODUCING BUSINESS FORMS|75| Inventor: .IosephRay,FalIston,Md.

[73 l Assignee: American Totalisator Company,

Inc., Towson, Md.

[22] Filed: Sept. 30, I970 211 App]. No.: 76,804

[52] U.S. Cl. ..282/13 [51] Int. Cl. ..B4ll 5/02 [58] Field of Search..282/l 3-l 6, 5, 7',

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,273,914 9/l966 Wagner..282/16 B 1 1 Jan. 30, 1973 Doud ..282/16 R Jacobs ..282/l6 R IrimaryExaminer-Robert W. Michell Assislan! Examiner-J. H. WolffAttorney-Smith, Harding, Earlcy & Follmer 571 ABSTRACT A hand-poweredmachine is provided for producing business forms retained in the machinewith concurrent issuance of receipts to a customer, the machine beingparticularly adapted for the production of sweepstakes forms. Electricalcontrol is provided by which the number of forms to be issued in acomplete transaction may be determined by dialing.

2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures l las: 28 I PATENTEDJAH 30 I975 SHEET 1 OF 5F I G.

INVENTOR JOSEPH RAY ATTORNEYS SHEET 3 [IF 5 FIG. 3.

R O T m Y A V mnn H P E S O J BY SMLJIM AM ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJAN 30 I975FIG. 4.

SHEET l 0F 5 PAIENTEU-JAH'BO I915;

INVENTOR J05 E PH R AY BY I MWQMQW FIG. 5.

ATTORNEYS PATENTEUmso 1m 3.713.674 SHEET 5 OF 5 F I G. 6.

INVENTOR JOSEPH RAY ATTORNEYS MACHINE FOR PRODUCING BUSINESS FORMS BRIEFSUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In connection with the issuance of sweepstaketickets it is desirable to retain the tickets of significance within anissuing machine in the form of a continuous strip thereof from whichthey may be individually severed under supervised circumstances forultimate location in a receptacle from which drawings are made. Thetickets thus provided are the sole tickets of value, but it is desirableto issue to a patron receipts for the psychological effect of showing tohim that the machine has operated through a proper cycle, even thoughthe receipts have no value in themselves. The patrons operation is oneof writing his or anothers name and address on the receipt withreproduction thereof on a carbon copy constituting one of the ticketsretained in the machine. The general aspects of what is involved in sucha transaction are described in the US. Pat. to Joseph C. Wagner, No.3,273,914, dated Sept. 20, 1966.

The present invention provides a reliable but inexpensive machineperforming the end functions of the machine of said patent. A program ofproducing sweepstakes tickets involves the use of many machines at avery large number of localities so that low cost is a quite importantconsideration. In accordance with the invention the machine is handpowered by necessary manipulations ofa patron; and to reduce to aminimum the attention of an attendant provision is made for control ofthe issuance of a predetermined number of tickets in a single completetransaction, the determination of the number being effected by a singledialing operation following the payment of the correct amount by thepatron.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of operatingelements of a preferred type of machine, a top cover plate being omittedalong with elements of a conventional tamperproof housing which may beconventional;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section on a transverse plane indicated at 2-2 inFIG. 1 but showing additionally the cover plate and in fragmentary formwalls of the housmg;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on the plane indicated at 3-3 in FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, to show moreclearly certain of the elements hidden in the other views;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken on the plane indicated at 5--5 inFIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken on the plane indicated at 66 in FIG.1; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the electrical elements involved.-

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Consideration will be first given to the mechanicalconstruction involved.

A housing having walls typified at 2 is surmounted by a cover plate 4having an opening 6 of sufficient dimensions to present a write-in areathrough which, as will be later explained, a patron may inscribe hisname and address. The front of the machine is toward the reader as FIG.2 is viewed and at the right of FIG. 1 and the several verticalsections, the front being defined as the location adjacent to thepatron. Without describing its very conventional details, the housinghas its parts connected to prevent access from the exterior exceptthrough a locked door (not shown) through which authorized loading andunloading of the machine may take place.

When the machine is in idle, rest position, the opening 6 is covered bya slide 8 mounted at the lower face of the cover plate 4 and providedwith an externally accessible knob 10 by which it may be movedbackwardly and forwardly by a patron, the opening 6 being uncovered whenthe knob is moved toward the left as viewed in FIG. 2. Below the coverplate and slide there is located a table 12 which, as most clearly shownin FIG. 6, has at its rearmost portion a curved guide 14 and at itsforward edge an upwardly curved guide portion 16 for presenting receiptsto be removed. Fed across this table are portions of a two-ply strip ofpaper, the lower ply A of which is to be retained in the machine whilethe upper ply B, having a carbon backing is projected outwardly so thatportions thereof may be torn off by a patron. The lower ply A afterpassing the write-in area moves downwardly through a slot 18 and thencethrough a guide 20 to pass downwardly into the reception portion of thehousing wherein it is retained in a fanfolded form, the two-ply supplybeing originally in the same folded condition for upward and thenhorizontal movement over the table 12. A transverse bar having a sharplower edge is provided at 22 so that the issued receipts may be torn offby a patron. Hinged and spring urged downwardly are guide members 24.Through slots in guide members 24 and in the table there advance feedpins 28 carried by chains 26 trained oversprockets 27 to feed thetwo-ply paper perforated at its edges to receive the pins to be fedthereby.

A rack 30 is secured to the slide for back and forth movement therewith.This rack is supported at its rear end by an idler pinion 31 and mesheswith a pinion 32 to which it imparts movements, the pinion 32 meshing inturn with a gear 34 for imparting back and forth movements to a shaft36.

The shaft 36 has secured thereto a driving clutch element 38 consistingof a hub provided with a notch 40. Journaled on the shaft 36 is a disc42 which along with a U-shaped lever 44, pivoted to it at 46,constitutes a driven clutch element. The lever 44 has a projection 48which enters the notch 40 when clutch engagement occurs, a spring 50urging the lever in a counterclockwise direction relative to the disc42.

The turned end 52 of a lever 56 is arranged to engage a shoulder 54 ofthe disc 42, and when the machine is in rest position it engages theleft-hand portion of the lever 44. The lever 56 is mounted on a fixedpivot 58 and has a horizontal arm 60 which is engageable and helddownwardly by a block 62 secured to the rear end portion of the rack 30,the arm of the lever being also provided with a cam portion 64 capableof effecting rocking of the lever by the block 62. The lever 56 isarranged to be rocked counterclockwise by a light spring 66 to positionit for engagement with the shoulder 54, though this spring isinsufficient to overcome the force of the strong spring 50 during theoperation as hereafter described.

The plunger of a solenoid 68 is link-connected to the lower end of alever 70 and is pivoted at 72 in such fashion that a rearward extension74 engages as a detent the teeth of the rack 30 under the action of aspring 76 to prevent rearward movement of the rack when the machine isin rest position (FIG.

The disc 42 has secured to it a gear 78 which meshes with a pinion 80secured to a transverse shaft 82 (on which the pinion 32 is joumaled)extending across the machine and having secured thereto the sprocketsdriving the feed chains 26.

A detent 84, pivoted at 86 and held downwardly by a spring 88 preventsclockwise rotation of the gear 78 (FIG. 4).

A cam projection 90 is arranged to engage the roller 92 of a switch 94when the machine is in stationary condition.

The machine is manually operated by a patron, though desirablyelectrically controlled by an attendant. The electrical control may beof various types, of which one will be described hereafter for theproduction of a number of forms for a single patron. But it will beconvenient to describe first an operation as mechanically effected by apatron.

The electrical control, whatever its detail nature may be, producesenergization of the solenoid 68 to rock clockwise, as viewed in FIGS. 3and 5, the lever 70 to pull its arm 74 downwardly out of engagement withthe rack 30 which it has held previously against movement. The solenoidremains energized for an extended period during the operation, as willappear hereafter. The freeing of the rack enables the patron to push theknob rearwardly and so move the slide to open up the aperture above thewrite-in area. As the rack moves rearwardly it effects clockwiserotation of the shaft 36. The initial movement of this shaft carries thenotch 40 clockwise beyond the position of the tooth 48 of the lever 44,and only after this does the block 62 clear the upper end of the camslope 64 of the lever 56 so that this releases the left-hand end of thelever 44 so that it may be rocked counterclockwise by the spring 50.This counterclockwise movement causes the tooth 48 to drop on thecylindrical surface of the driving clutch element 38 so that the clutchis not engaged at this time, and to insure that the driven element ofthe clutch is not rotated, the detent 84 (FIG. 4) prevents its clockwiserotation. The chains carrying the pins for driving the two-ply paperstrip remain stationary. The operator, therefore, may fully open theslide to expose the upper ply of paper.

The patron may then write on the top ply his name and address inaccordance with instructions which may be printed on that ply orotherwise presented in association with the machine, the name andaddress being transmitted to the lower ply by reason of the carbonbacking of the upper ply.

In order to secure a receipt, the patron must then move the knob 10forwardly and thus close the slide.

Before the end of the slide-opening operation, the lever 56 will havebeen rocked fully clockwise and as the notch 40 reaches alignment withthe tooth 48, the latter will drop into the notch, the engagementresulting in limitation of the clockwise rotation of the shaft 36, thisalso involving the limitation on the movement of the slide. The end 52of the lever 56 will move out sufficiently to clear the shoulder 54 ofthe driven clutch disc. As forward movement proceeds, the rack 30 willeffect counterclockwise rotation of the shaft 36, and the clutch beingnow engaged will effect driving of the gear 78 counterclockwise anddriving of the pinion 86 and the sprocket shaft 82. These movements arepermitted by the detent 84. The driving of the chains carrying the feedpins by the sprockets effects forward movement of the two-ply strip toadvance the lower ply to the interior receptacle of the machine andpresent the outer ply to the patron. The receipt end rises over theguide surface 16 and as the knob 10 reaches the end of its forwardmovement the receipt is fully projected and may be torn off.

During the forward movement of the rack 30 the solenoid 68 is releasedso that the upper end of the lever reengages the rack to prevent itsreversal. As the rack 30 approaches the end of its forward movement, theblock 62 will engage the cam end 64 of the lever 56 to rock itcounterclockwise to place its end 52 in the path of the shoulder 54 andalso to engage the left-hand end of the lever 44 to withdraw the tooth48 from the slot 40 to disengage the clutch against the action of spring50. The parts are thus brought to rest in their original position butwith a new area of the strip beneath the write-in opening but nowcovered by the slide.

The electrical control may take a wide variety of forms, and FIG. 7 ismerely exemplary of a preferred type of operation in which an attendantmanipulates a dial of telephone type to choose the number of forms whicha patron may produce in a single overall operation and for which he haspaid. Each machine contains a conventional stepping relay 96 of whichonly so much is indicated as pertains to the special operations. To theextent indicated the relay comprises an adding solenoid 98 and asubtracting solenoid 100 arranged to provide in usual fashion theforward reverse movement of a contact 102 arranged to engage fixedcontacts 104 in suitable number. A dial 106 is connected to a source ofcurrent supply 108 and the solenoids 98 and 100 ar returned to ground(not shown).

One dial 106 may be provided for a group of machines so as to set themup individually through selection switches. It will be understood thateach of the stepping relays may have the usual additional contactconnections such as, for example, to provide for correction of an errorby returning the contact 102 to its zero rest condition.

The solenoids 98 and 100 may be assumed to be of the usual type in whichenergization contacts a pawl so that when the solenoid is de-energized,the spring action moves the contact 102 either forwardly or rearwardly.

The final contacts 104, except the one in the rest position, areconnected together and to a line 10 running to a pair of switches 112and 114 within the switch heretofore designated 94. When the switch 94is engaged by the cam the switch contacts 112 are open, and the switchcontacts 114 are closed. The contacts l-14 provide a connection to thesolenoid 68 which, when energized, withdraws its detent releasing therack and the slide.

The contacts 112 when closed provide energization of the subtractionsolenoid 100.

The withdrawal operation involves the following: if the attendant ispaid for a certain number of forms to be issued, he may dial that numberto advance the movable contact 102 to the corresponding fixed contact.Since the contacts 114 are closed, the solenoid 68 is energizedreleasing the slide for backward movement by the patron as described. Itwill be noted that the cam 40 does not move when the slide is movedrearwardly, and accordingly the solenoid remains energized to permit acomplete rearward movement of the slide.

The patron may now enter his name and address and move the slideforwardly to issue the receipt and advance the lower strip into itsstorage. As this forward movement of the slide takes place, the cam 90releases the switch 94 and therefore the contacts 112 are closed and thecontacts 114 are opened. When the latter occurs, the solenoid 68 isde-energized, but the detent will not interfere with complete forwardmovement of the slide, though after a partial forward movement it cannotbe moved forwardly.

The closure of the contacts 112 effects energizing of the subtractsolenoid 100 arming its pawl for an ultimate backward movement of thecontact 102. When the cam 90 reaches its final position, the switch 94is engaged and the contacts 112 and 114 are restored to their initialpositions. The opening of contacts 112 will produce a backward step ofthe contact 102. If after this step the contact again engages one of thefixed contacts 104 other than the one in the rest position, the solenoid68 will be again immediately energized and the machine is in a conditionin which the slide is released for the making of another entry on thestrip, then the cycle may be completed as before.

However, if the contact 102 moves to its rest position, the solenoid 68will not be energized even though the contacts 114 close, and thereforethe slide cannot be again re-opened. it will be noted that a secondreopening cannot be effected unless it is preceded by a full closure.The machine finally achieves a condition for another manipulation of thedial 106 by the attendant.

lclaim:

l. A machine for producing business forms comprising an enclosure, atable therein, means for feeding a multi-ply strip across said tabletopresent an upper ply to a patron and deliver a duplicate to aninaccessible location within the enclosure, said enclosure having anopening above the table to permit the patron to make entries on theupper ply, a manually movable cover normally closing said opening, meanslocking the cover in closed position, means for unlocking the cover formanual opening by a patron, means connecting the cover to said feedingmeans so that the power applied in manual closure of the cover by apatron effects the aforementioned operation of the feeding means, andmeans preventing reopening movement of the cover after initial movementtowards closed position until it is fully closed and then unlocked.

2. A machine according to claim 1 having control means includingmanually selectable means for entering an initial selection of a numberof business forms to be produced from a group of possible selections,and means responsive to said manually selectable means for permittingonly the number of operations of the machine sufficient to produce theselected number of forms, following such inltial selgctipn.

1. A machine for producing business forms comprising an enclosure, atable thErein, means for feeding a multi-ply strip across said table topresent an upper ply to a patron and deliver a duplicate to aninaccessible location within the enclosure, said enclosure having anopening above the table to permit the patron to make entries on theupper ply, a manually movable cover normally closing said opening, meanslocking the cover in closed position, means for unlocking the cover formanual opening by a patron, means connecting the cover to said feedingmeans so that the power applied in manual closure of the cover by apatron effects the aforementioned operation of the feeding means, andmeans preventing reopening movement of the cover after initial movementtowards closed position until it is fully closed and then unlocked.
 1. Amachine for producing business forms comprising an enclosure, a tablethErein, means for feeding a multi-ply strip across said table topresent an upper ply to a patron and deliver a duplicate to aninaccessible location within the enclosure, said enclosure having anopening above the table to permit the patron to make entries on theupper ply, a manually movable cover normally closing said opening, meanslocking the cover in closed position, means for unlocking the cover formanual opening by a patron, means connecting the cover to said feedingmeans so that the power applied in manual closure of the cover by apatron effects the aforementioned operation of the feeding means, andmeans preventing reopening movement of the cover after initial movementtowards closed position until it is fully closed and then unlocked.